1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stereo image display apparatus and display method, and in particular to a stereo image display apparatus and a stereo image display method that reduce fatigue and discomfort a user feels when a display transitions from a state of displaying a stereo image having a predetermined parallax to that of displaying a stereo image having a different parallax.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known a stereo image display apparatus that allows a user to stereoscopically view an image having a binocular parallax by inputting the image separately to the right and left eyes of the user. Viewing stereoscopically with such a stereo image display apparatus may cause the user's eye fatigue.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-306739 describes a technique for reducing a parallax of a stereo image when the display duration of the stereo image exceeds a predetermined duration. According to the technique, a parallax of a displayed stereo image is adjusted depending on fatigue of the viewer's eyes so that the viewer's eyes can be protected.
Even with the technique in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-306739, however, a problem has been that when stereo images are advanced frame by frame, the display abruptly transitions to an image having a different parallax, which forces the user to immediately adjust the parallax in response to the transition, causing discomfort, fatigue, and loss of the stereoscopic effect accordingly. The problem is exacerbated when the frame-by-frame advance is faster.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the invention to provide a stereo image display apparatus and a stereo image display method that reduce fatigue and discomfort a user feels when a display transitions from a state of displaying a stereo image having a predetermined parallax to that of displaying a stereo image having a different parallax.